Small Favors
by Nmoreblack
Summary: Katniss and Peeta think their son is perfect. If only they could agree on the merit of dimples. One shot from the No Surprises universe.


_**Author's Note: **_**This is a one-shot from the "No Surprises" universe, written for misshoneywell on her birthday because she is just fantastic all around, and a great friend. It's mostly fluff and some other things that require an M rating.**

_**Disclaimer: **_**The Hunger Games belong to Suzanne Collins.**

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_Thump, thump, thump._

"Jonah!"

A giggle sounded from the front hall, probably the closet. Katniss groaned in frustration, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. He was too deceptively cute to be such a handful. Luckily for her, he seemed to have inherited his father's heavy footfalls because as good as Jonah was at cramming himself into tight hiding spots, he could never disguise his little run, or even his anxious giggles when he could sense someone getting closer.

"I wonder where Jonah went!" she said loudly, sighing to herself. She heard another muffled giggle and tiptoed closer to the closet. She spread her feet wide to block him from slipping away, and braced herself before swinging the door open.

He squealed from underneath a pile of coats.

"Found you!" she said, and Jonah dissolved in a fit of laughter. Katniss plucked a yellow raincoat off his head to find his golden curls matted into his eyes.

"Come on, peanut," she said, picking him up before he could protest. He relaxed into his mother's arms, still giggling into her shoulder. But when she carried him into the kitchen and set him into his high chair again, he started to squirm. Katniss held onto his chubby, dimpled knees and gave him a stern look. "Come on, love. Be good," she said, forcing striped socks onto his little feet. She was having to get used to the process of dressing him in stages, usually after chasing him from one room to another.

Jonah loved preschool and, much like his father, charmed everyone around him, toddlers and teachers alike. It was the whole getting-ready-for-school part he wasn't such a fan of, and it utterly exhausted her.

Katniss wanted to resent Peeta for never being around during this early morning wrangling process, but she wasn't exactly volunteering to get up at 3 am to run the bakery either. And at this moment, when her husband stumbled in through the front door, practically dead on his feet, she remembered why.

"Hi, baby," Peeta said through a yawn, shuffling over to Katniss and planting a kiss to her temple. "Hi, baby," he said, blowing a raspberry on Jonah's fat cheek. The little boy squealed and wiggled in his chair.

"Peeta, do _not_ rile him up," Katniss said, her admonishment losing some of its punch since she said it through a smile. "It took me this long to get him to sit still."

Peeta had slumped into a chair across from his son and she felt as though this sight would never fail to make her heart clench— her two boys, both with dimples and golden curls, the only notable difference being the silvery gray of Jonah's eyes and the olive tint to his skin.

She would have loved her child no matter what, and fiercely— Peeta had assured her of that often enough during the terrifying months that led up to Jonah's birth. But there was something about the blending of her features and her husband's— on top of how much Jonah reminded her of a young Peeta— that made her melt in a way that was completely uncharacteristic (and definitely embarrassing).

There had never been any question in her mind that she would end up being the "bad cop" as a parent; she knew she could be stern and unyielding, where Peeta was good-natured and patient, almost to a fault. But she was beginning to question the accuracy of those roles, especially of late.

Katniss sliced banana into a small cup of strawberry yogurt, but she knew Jonah would need more coaxing than that to finish his breakfast, so she found a mini cinnamon donut in a basket on their counter top (one that was inevitably filled with all kinds of leftover baked goods Peeta would bring home) and slid it onto his plate.

When she turned back to them, she found Peeta lacing up Jonah's red sneakers, only occasionally interrupted by a playful kick of their son's leg. It was clear Peeta was exhausted, but he only tickled Jonah's side to distract him, gave him a tired smile, and forged on. Something about his helpful dedication to the task, in spite of the fact that he was about to pass out, made Katniss want to jump him.

She walked over and put the plate on Jonah's tray, handing him a small spoon. At the same moment she ran her hand through Jonah's hair, she leaned down to press a kiss into Peeta's; his was coarse and thick to Jonah's fine strands, but neither curly mop ever stayed down properly and she relished the disorder.

The moment was short lived, however, because as soon as she went to the sink, her son squealed. Katniss jumped, her reflexes kicking in before she could drop the mug she was holding.

"Daddy!" Jonah whined.

When Peeta didn't respond, she looked over her shoulder…to find his cheeks stuffed full and cinnamon sugar all over his lips.

"Peeta! Did you steal his donut?"

"My donut!" Jonah shouted, flicking yogurt off the end of his spoon. It ended up on Peeta's face, which made him do a bad imitation of his wife's scowl. Katniss and Jonah both laughed.

"Peeta, you were at the bakery all morning! Why'd you have to steal his donut?"

He merely shrugged innocently at her, but she narrowed her eyes in response. Despite perpetually smelling of it, Peeta didn't even like cinnamon very much. Before she could voice her suspicion though, a horn beeped from outside.

"Crap, that's Delly," Katniss said, running into the living room to grab her son's matching red backpack.

"Cwap!" Jonah screamed from Peeta's arms as he carried him into the living room.

Peeta gasped dramatically at his wife, letting his jaw drop open. She merely rolled her eyes and rooted through the pile of coats now on the floor of the front closet.

"Thievery! Cursing. What are we teaching our son?" Peeta asked, shaking his head in mock shame.

"To fend for himself in the world," Katniss said dryly, taking Jonah from Peeta's arms. "Okay, tyke. Say goodbye to daddy."

"Goodbye to daddy!" he said, his syllables running together in a toddler garble. Peeta wiped yogurt from his son's lips and gave him a kiss before Katniss set him on his feet.

"Bye, sugar bean. Be good at school," Peeta said, trying to artfully arrange Jonah's hair while Katniss shoved his chubby arms into a yellow raincoat.

He clung to his mother's legs and when Peeta stood, she leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "Go take a shower. You stink." Katniss swung Jonah up and out the front door before Peeta could respond.

"Thanks for waiting," she told Delly when she reached the car, opening the back door and depositing Jonah in the second car seat next to Alexander with a kiss. The two boys were giggling at each other and trading toys before she could get the door closed.

Delly had the front passenger window rolled down and Katniss stuck her head in.

"Thank you, Del," she said in a practiced monotone.

"Yeah, yeah," Delly said, waving her off with a smile and looking entirely too put together for a busy mom charged with running the toddler carpool for the week. "Enjoy your day off," she added, waggling her eyebrows. Katniss rolled her eyes.

"Keep it clean in front of the children," Katniss scolded sarcastically.

"Oh, they don't know what I'm saying! Do you, you pudgy little goobers?"

"Delly!" Katniss said with a laugh. "Better not let Peeta hear you say that."

"Oh, please! He's so ridiculous. Besides," she added, raising her eyebrows at Katniss, "you know you love Jonah all chubbed up."

Katniss tried to keep her expression stoic, but her gaze drifted to her son, his pants riding up to dimpled knees because he couldn't keep his legs still. "But look at his cute, fat little legs!" she said in a voice that she'd only ever let Delly or her husband hear.

"I know, you're both just so adorable, I'm gonna eat you up!" Delly cooed as she and Katniss looking lovingly at their little boys in the backseat.

"Okay," Katniss said after a moment, straightening up and lowering her voice. "Get out of here before we lose more brain cells."

"Bye, softie! Your secret is safe!" Delly shouted when she finally pulled away. Katniss gave her a lazy wave and waited for the car to turn the corner before running up the drive.

She hurried through the front door, locking it behind her, and took the stairs two at a time, shedding clothing as she went. When she reached their bedroom, she slowed her pace, her feet soundless on the hardwood leading to their bathroom. She smiled when she heard the shower still running.

The bathroom was full of steam, only slowly escaping through the small, open window. When Katniss pulled the shower curtain back, she found Peeta standing with his head bowed under the spray, listing forward as if he were about to pass out. Katniss pulled the curtain back further, the metal hooks screeching against the shower rod, and his head shot up. It was slightly amusing to see water fall into his open mouth while he shook his wet, shaggy hair out of his face; but it didn't stop her brow from furrowing in concern.

"Peeta, don't fall asleep in the shower, please," she scolded, moving behind him and pulling the curtain shut. She pressed up against his back and wrapped her arms around him. Her fingers moved up and down his chest almost unconsciously, tracing patterns on skin she knew as well as her own.

"You told me I stunk," he almost whined, turning around and enveloping her in a hug. He nuzzled his face into her neck, something he was normally too tall to do with her comfortably, but took frequent advantage of when they were horizontal.

"You always do what I tell you?" she teased. He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow in response. "You're right. Good boy." Katniss patted his cheek condescendingly and he smacked her ass.

"Hey!" she yelped, pushing on his chest and forcing him against the tiled wall.

Peeta gave her a lazy, mischievous smile, and blatantly ogled her naked body. "Not that I'm complaining, but didn't you take a shower last night?"

"Jonah got food in my hair," she lied, ducking her head under the spray and wetting her hair.

"He got some on my face," Peeta said. "That kid has your aim."

Katniss merely smirked proudly in response. "Not to mention all that cinnamon," she added casually.

"Huh?" he asked. Her eyes darted to Peeta and found him staring at her breasts. She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to him, tipping his chin up to force his gaze to meet hers.

"From the donut you stole from your three-year-old," she said pointedly.

"Mmm," he hummed absently, leaning down to capture her lips. She opened her mouth to his searching tongue and kissed him hotly, her fingers tightening in his wet curls. Peeta pulled her closer, forcing her wet, petite frame against his body.

"Peeta," she panted, breaking away from his mouth. He merely groaned in response. She put her hands on his chest and forced him back; he eyed her in a confused daze.

"Peeta," she repeated, more lowly this time, and leaned in to trail kisses along his neck. She paused right before she got to his favorite spot. "You don't even like cinnamon donuts."

"They're okay," he said breathlessly, trying to force her head back to his neck. Katniss obliged for the moment, moving up to the edge of his jaw and nibbling. His head fell back on a moan. Despite keeping distance between their upper bodies, she could feel his erection pressed against her stomach. Almost ten years later and the evidence of the effect she had on him, her ability to make him hard at even the lightest touches, still left her wet and aching. She sucked in breath and tried to gather her thoughts, knowing she had him just where he wanted him.

"Are you keeping sweets away from our cute, chubby little boy?" As soon as the words were out, she leaned back to study his face. He couldn't hide the slight grimace that crossed his face at the word "chubby."

"Peeta," she started gently, "he's a toddler. He's allowed to have dimples and rolls in his arms." He looked slightly ashamed and she grabbed his chin again. "And if he were to stay that way his whole life, there'd be nothing wrong with it."

Peeta frowned at her and his eyes went glassy in a way that made her heart ache. She drew her hand up his chest to feel his heartbeat. "I know that," he said defensively. "I'm not my mother."

"I never said that, sweetheart," she said gently, nuzzling her nose against his.

"I just don't want him to have to deal with what I dealt with."

"You are perfect, and our son is perfect," Katniss said emphatically, willing the words to sink in. "And besides, I think things turned out okay for you." She gave him a sheepish smile and he pulled her close again, resting his head on the top of hers.

He sighed heavily and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. "Yeah, you're alright," Peeta said lightly.

Katniss huffed and tried to move away, but he only laughed and pulled her closer. "I'm kidding!" he laughed. "You're amazing." He said this on a whisper and took her earlobe into his mouth. Her head tilted almost involuntarily to give him better access to it and she bit her lip to stifle a moan. "Even if you're purposely trying to keep our son chubby."

Katniss moved back and dropped her mouth open in offense. Peeta merely arched an eyebrow at her cockily and grabbed for the shampoo bottle, squeezing a dollop into his palm.

"That is a ridiculous accusation," Katniss said haughtily and swiped the shampoo bottle from him.

"Of course," Peeta said smoothly. She stepped up to him and smacked his hands away from where they were scrubbing shampoo into his scalp. She went up on tiptoe and replaced them with her own hands, knowing the way Peeta melted at a scalp massage. His eyes dropped shut, and when she pulled lightly on the ends of his wet curls he groaned.

"I'm just giving him options," Katniss said seriously. Peeta opened one eye and gave her a skeptical look. "What? I am! We're raising him to, ya know, make his own choices and I'm trying to…enforce his own…strength of will, or…"

"Please, stop," Peeta said, shutting his eye again and furrowing his brows like he was in pain. "You are such a bad liar."

"Fine!" she said, pulling at his hair almost violently; it only made him smirk happily. "I like Jonah chubby! He's really damn cute, and so were you, by the way."

His eyes finally popped open and he studied her seriously, quickly dunking his head under the shower spray to rinse out the suds before bringing his hands to her hips. "Really? Then why'd I have to lose weight for you to go out with me?"

Katniss gasped and Peeta dodged the playful smacks that came his way, almost choking on his own laughter. "You're such a bastard!" she shouted. "That's not what happened and you know it!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he protested weakly, hiccuping with laughter. He clutched his stomach with one arm and pulled Katniss close with the other, but her body was stiff against his.

"Are you done?" she asked dryly, when his laughter subsided. He tried to give her a sad puppy look, but it didn't help that dimples were still showing in his cheeks as he tried to stifle a smile. "If I ever hear you tell the story that way, _especially_ to Jonah, I'm kicking your ass out of here."

"Such a filthy mouth," Peeta said chidingly, nipping at her top lip.

"You would know," she said. Peeta grinned impishly and leaned in to kiss her. She turned her head at the last moment so he got her cheek instead.

"Man," Peeta complained, "I'm gonna pay for that joke for a while, aren't I?" His hands were moving gently up and down her sides.

"You know," Katniss began, pressing a kissing to his chest before looking up at him, "I _was_ going to thank you for helping with Jonah this morning."

Peeta tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lovingly at her. "You're welcome," he said, leaning down to kiss her. He had just started stroking her tongue with his when she broke it off. He groaned, but Katniss merely trailed kisses across his cheek to the soft skin behind his ear. She licked a water droplet from the spot and his fingers gripped her waist tightly in response.

"That's not how I was going to thank you," she said lowly.

"Oh, well in that case," Peeta said, running his hands up her body to cup her breasts, "you are lovely and gorgeous and sexy." He punctuated his words by dragging his thumbs across her nipples. Her breath hitched and she licked her bottom lip in response. "God," he said on a light moan, "Seriously, this is like every wet dream I had when I was 14."

"Really?" she asked, moving to kiss his chest, occasionally sucking on a patch of smooth, wet skin.

"Yeah, are you kidding? You, naked in the shower with me? That was just basic," he scoffed. "They got more complicated when I got older. And way filthier."

Katniss stepped back and dropped to her knees. Peeta's jaw dropped open.

"How much filthier?" she asked, looking up at him with hooded eyes.

"Fuuuck me," he breathed. It gave her an intense sense of pride to know that every time she dropped to her knees for him, his eyes would widen in disbelief just as they had when they were 17 and she'd done this for the first time.

"We have all day," she said with a sly grin.

She could see his dick grow even harder before her eyes and she hadn't even touched him yet. Holding his gaze, she took him in her hand and ran her fist over him a few times before taking the head in her mouth.

"Ughh, Katniss," he groaned, his head dropping back against the shower wall.

Her tongue dragged across his slit before sucking on the head again, using one hand to pump the base of his cock and the other to play with the sensitive skin over his hipbone. She could feel his abs contract under her fingers when he sucked in breath. She bobbed her head up and down a few times in tandem with the rhythm of her hand, before flattening her tongue and dragging it along his shaft.

"Fuck," he said again in a strained voice. Katniss looked up to find him gazing down at her with dark eyes, his pupils dilated and his lips red like he'd been biting and licking at them. His fingers found their way into her heavy, wet hair.

Katniss relaxed her tongue and brought him as far into her mouth as she could, closing her eyes and moaning around him so the vibrations traveled straight from her throat to his cock. Peeta let out a string of curses and when she swallowed around him, he tightened his fingers in her strands, pulling her head back so she could breathe and then forcing it gently forward again so he was sliding in and out of her mouth easily. Katniss felt her own muscles clench in response to his boldness, never pushing her too far, but heightening the pleasure for both of them. She loved when Peeta got a little rough and took charge, and he knew it.

He did this a few more times and she hollowed her cheeks, creating suction around his cock. Peeta drew her head back roughly and pulled out of her mouth. Katniss' eyes shot up to his, but he simply leaned down and lifted her up so she was standing and pushed her against the tile; she put her hands up against the wall to brace herself. He was behind her in an instant, his hard, wet muscles pressing against her back.

Her chest heaved with excited breaths and, as if he could sense this, Peeta brought his hands around to pinch her nipples. She bit her lip, but still turned her head to give him a questioning look.

"Your mouth is fucking amazing," he assured her, dragging his teeth down the shell of her ear to the lobe. "Wet and hot." He dragged his fingers through her folds and she gasped. "But I want to be inside you."

His fingers kept working her, dragging up and down teasingly before circling around her clit. His other hand grabbed her hip and pulled her lower body back so her ass was up against his groin, his cock still painfully hard and pressing against her.

Peeta got her close to orgasm with his fingers— as close as she had gotten him— before stopping.

"Okay?" he asked, thrusting against her folds from behind. She barely had time to moan out an affirmation before he was taking hold of his cock and entering her in a long, measured thrust.

"Oh fuck," she whined, pushing back against him. Peeta stretched his arms over her head, covering her hands where they were planted on the wall. His head dropped to nuzzle at her neck for a moment before biting forcefully where it met her shoulder. It was a spot that made her keen and clench simultaneously, every time, and he relished doing it, even if it meant she had to cover the mark for a few days afterward. Peeta knew her complaints were all for show anyway.

He thrust into her steadily like this for a few minutes, grunting quietly, his sounds drowned out by her breathless moans. But soon he picked up his pace, dropping his arms so that one hand gripped her hip roughly and the other moved to her front where he flattened his palm against her pelvis. It was a teasing motion, the way he used it to hold her against him as he drove into her, his palm putting pressure against her lower abdominals and heightening the sensation that coiled there.

But she wanted more and he gave it to her. He brought two fingers to her clit again and stroked in time with his thrusts.

"You want it harder?" her asked her, his voice low and silky. She loved and _hated_ him being in control— teasing her and using her weaknesses against her. If only it didn't feel so damn good. "I know you do," he taunted in her ear, and she cursed his ability to control his voice when she could barely keep her moans from breaking off roughly.

She wanted to lie, but he was right— she was terrible at it, anyway.

"Always," she breathed. In response, he thrust so hard that her hips nearly hit the wall. She cried out and his moans matched hers.

Peeta tried to keep up the pressure on her clit, but they were moving so fast and hard together that his fingers stuttered. Katniss barely registered it; she was focused on the feeling of him filling her over and over again and hitting a spot inside her that made her dizzy. The weight of his chest was bearing down on her, and the air around them was thick with moisture from with their heavy breathing and sweat and the steam of the shower.

"I'm gonna come," Peeta said roughly, sinking his teeth into her shoulder.

"Oh god, me too," Katniss panted, purposely squeezing her muscles around him.

Peeta came a moment later with strangled groan, emptying himself inside her. She let out an answering, keening moan, and Peeta refocused his efforts on her clit to carry her through her orgasm.

When they finally peeled themselves away from the wall, they had to grab onto each other to keep from stumbling, both of them shaky and breathless. Peeta grabbed for a towel and rubbed her down with it, playfully hanging it off her head as he went to reach for his own. Katniss pulled it off with a laugh and wrung her hair out over the drain.

"God, my knees hurt," Peeta said, wrapping the towel around his waist and leaning against the counter.

"It's because you're getting old," Katniss replied flatly, knotting her own towel under her arms and stepping out of the tub.

"Hey! I'm only twenty-five and, much like George Clooney, just getting better with age," he said, turning around and grabbing a comb from his drawer.

Katniss just snorted. "Yeah, okay, Clooney. You're old. And a little too skinny, if you ask me," she said, leaning down to pat his knees, ones that she regularly joked were "bony."

Peeta pouted for a moment before she stole the comb from him to run it through her own hair. He studied her closely in the mirror.

"My stupid joke really made you angry, huh?" he asked, rubbing her warm, wet shoulders. "You're never this mean to me post-orgasm." She scowled at him and he smirked. "You want another one?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not when you're about to fall over, stud," Katniss said. He shrugged sheepishly and when she noted the dark circles under his eyes, she decided to go easy on him. "And your joke _was_ stupid, so just don't let me hear it again." She turned and pushed him toward their bedroom. "Now go take a nap. I'll wake you up for lunch," she added, smacking his butt for good measure.

Katniss returned the comb to the drawer and when her head lifted, she caught her reflection in the mirror…particularly the angry, red marks all over her neck and collarbone. She rolled her eyes. Thank god it was cold enough to wear a scarf.

Katniss walked to the open doorway and poked her head into their bedroom. Peeta was lying on his back, squirming around under the sheets like he was trying to get comfortable.

"Hey, Peeta?" she called. His head lifted and he eyed her curiously. "I had that fantasy, too. Of us in the shower, when I was 16." His eyebrows shot up and he sat up in bed. "Except, you were the one on your knees and I was pinned against the wall."

Peeta's mouth dropped opening and she bit her lip to keep from smiling at the sight of the sheet shifting slightly over her lap. "But it wasn't a dream. It was an image I used to get myself off after you texted me goodnight." Peeta's chest heaved and he looked like he was about to speak. "Sleep well!" Katniss said, stepping back into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

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**I do realize that in canon, K/P had a little girl first…but this is AU and I skewed it for my own purposes. :) Thanks for reading! I'm on tumblr as pearlofkatniss.**


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